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Culture in the Zambarau Concord
Culture The culture of the Zambarau Concord has always been very diverse. Some people think that the cosmopolitan nature of the Zambarau Concord is drowning out and assimilating most unique cultures, yet at the same time others say that unique cultures are thriving and being actively encouraged by the populance. Ubiquitous Computing The ubiquitous computing network is a network made up of all of the co-operative computer networks in the whole Concord. It allows workers to use ubiquitous computing to access information and live their lives more smoothly. For example, a worker could be completing a piece of work at a hotel (displayed on the window of their room) - afterward they leave the hotel and get onto a maglev for a day out - the touch-sensitive table on the maglev train detect them biometrically and immediately bring up what they were working on before; if the worker decides to move seats the image dissappears from the table they were sitting at and onto the back of the seat in front of them. No passwords or login procedures are required to use the network because it is a single giant computer network which only allows the user to access their own information. However, many people still prefer to put some sort of security procedure onto their data. There is no radio or television in the Zambarau Concord (thought he Astatines used to have something similar to radio); all media and enternainment is accessed through this network. Segregation Due to their wildly different planets of origin, none of the races in the Zambarau Concord can share the same environment, this issue has been termed 'segregation.' One of the few exceptions to this is the Zambarau themselves, who are able to switch parts of their genome on and off, or grow a protective shell, to survive in alien environments. Also, the varying temperatures and pressures on the Kakranukh homeworld mean that at certain altitudes many races only need a breathing mask as life support. The main method of getting around segregation has been the use of virtual reality (sometimes similar to contact lenses) or neural implants to have alien collegues around as a virtual presence. Many spacecraft and space stations are separated into several different sections each containing an environment suitable for a different race. Both the Zambarau and the Drones have explained that segregation could be eliminated if mass genetic modification took place to adapt all races to a single environment, or if everybody had their consciousness downloaded into the ubiquitous computing network. Both propositions have been politely declined by the other members of the Concord. Some have tried this out, though. There are small communities of races who have genetically engineered themselves to be adapted to a common environment, or who have genetically engineered a new race entirely. The virtual population of the Cooncord is currently undefined. Clothing Zambarau The Zambarau, being plants, generally do not wear clothes, but by no means does this mean they lack a sense of personal aesthetic. The protective coatings that Zambarau develop to withstand harsh environments are commonly used for show, and nearly always sport complex patterns when viewed very closely (due to the fact that this coating is commonly used to extend the Zambarau's neural network). More visible differences in appearance between Zambarau include the shape that they grow in; which is sometimes functional but almost always aesthetic. Rarely Zambarau will decorate themselves with physical items such as bangles, pieces of fabric, and in one case luminous cobwebs. More commonly other races will decorate Zambarau, which the Zambarau don't seem to mind that much (unless it blocks their light). Sceen Broadly speaking, Sceen culture has never seriously included clothes. It is thought that this is because their natural hardiness and the stable weather and seasonal patterns on Sephamagore never required them to wear clothes for functional reasons, and the Sceen are too 'right brain' to think of using clothing much ceremonially. However, with the rise of technology the Sceen started wearing clothing if it was 'functional;' clocks, notepads, computers, instuments, etcetera. With the nanotechnology and ubiquitous technologies of today, features like this have become less noticeable, and the Sceen once again appear naked. Astatines Astatines are the most renowned clothes wearers in the Zambarau Concord, and have the strongest culture of wearing clothes; often considering wearing no clothes to be improper (though they are indifferent about the dress habits of other races). Generally most Astatine clothing is tentacle-based, though there has been a growth in the designs of various 'hats' to be worn on top of the body. Clothing includes sleeves, bandages, socks, bands, bangles, suction pads (which have actually been made out of a certain hollowed-out fruit for tens of thousands of years - though today they tend to be artificial) and other more elaborate creations. Astatine clothing used to be simply functional or religious and worn close to the skin (more elaborate clothing got in the way when swimming), but today is more outwardly obvious as fashion and style has become more important. Astatine clothing has to be very outwardly obvious because Astatines are blind, instead using echolocation; therefore shape is much more important than colour. Other races will notice, however, that for this reason Astatine clothing seems very drab and boring, because no effort has been taken to add colour. There has recently been a small campaign in a few systems and habitats, in which Astatine designers come together with other races to design more 'colourful' Astatine clothing that will be more pleasant to the eye. Such colouration would not bother Astatines, who would not notice the difference. Kakranukh The Kakranukh are the only widespread culture in the Zambarau Concord that openly and widely make artificial alterations to their bodies for aesthetics. The reason for this is that they could never wear 'conventional' (Astatine) clothes or their fragile bodies would be crushed under the weight and tension of even the lightest fabrics (despite there being modern materials available that would suffice today, the ancient Kakranukh culture still holds on to tradition). Kakranukh have developed a wide range of dyes to change the colour of the translucent 'panels' that they are made up of; this is as ceremonial as it is aesthetic, with different colours, patterns and styles representing different positions in society (though the cosmopolitan nature of the Concord has made this tradition less serious). Some of the most ancient recepes of dyes were even toxic and caused a variety of mantal and physical problems in the 'wearer,' of course, modern dyes are much safer. Even though Kakranukh are born with natural colouration dyes are preferred as they are generally brighter and more appealing. Many Sceen writers have compared Kakranukh with stained glass. Chondrites The Chondrites, like the Sceen, have never really been interested in clothing. Being solitary creatures that live in the harsh environment of space with extremely limited senses of sight and touch this is understandable. The closest visible thing that Chondrites have to clothing is their obsession with rocks, and they will often mark or smother themselves in particularly rare or precious types of rock or dust ('scent') that they have found (usually types of rock that are good for building a nest in). Chondrites that smell of a higher quality scent are considered more prestigious than ones that smell of a lower quality scent; sometimes it is possible to notice this difference by eye. This social ranking system is being messed up by readily available artificial substitutes, and in many places a cultural taboo is developing among Chondrites against 'dressing' in artificial scents (or scents that have been acquired by order, for that matter). There is also a growing counter-trend that encourages the wearing of different scents to promote social equality. Before they joined the Concord the Chondrites hardly ever made contact with each other due to their solitary nature, so this is the biggest conflict in the history of the Chondrite race (and that isn't saying much). Category:Articles by User:Mr.Robbo Category:Religions Category:Cultures